Sheffield Utd 5 Cardiff 3. Match Report

Calling the game dramatic doesn't do it justice, no adjective could either.

A first period totally dominated by City without reward followed by a freak second-half of 8 goals, the lead changing hands an incredible 4 times, 2 penalties, brilliant goals, bloody awful goals, 2 disallowed during the game, a Premiership referee having a nightmare for both teams as the afternoon for City followers went from happy, to extreme joy, to despair, to orgasmic highs and then utter despair and despondency. I don't know about Lennie's heart-rate but over 2,000 City fans need to take it easy for the rest of their weekend.

Breathtaking stuff but having not lost a game under City when ahead under Lennie's managership, City now fell to that feat in successive away games against teams able to step up a gear in the closing stages, a gear City don't quite seem to be able to match. So it was no points for City again, when they deserved at least a share, and they slipped into mid-table despite producing another performance showing they are far better than that. When emotions calm over a game that had it all, it does raise some questions.

The 210 mile drive to Sheffield was mostly uneventful but traffic was slow and little more than a procession for the final 80 miles along the M42 from Tamworth (due to roadworks for the new toll only motorway section) and the entire M1 from Nottingham to Sheffield because it was the M1. I went by car but along with almost 20 coaches, went to Chapeltown about 6 miles north of Sheffield, also visited by many fans before the Barnsley away game last season. As Gwyn Davies of the RAMS commented, it looks just like Grangetown ... although it wasn't that good.

Pub staff were in shock at the numbers descending on them when they had expected a leisurely lunch although the place had been agreed in advance with local police. A barmaid said the police told them, "they'll be nice if you let them in, won't if you don't and we're not stopping them" which worried them but the Welsh landlady of the pub I visited took over £800 at the bar in 90 minutes - as much as they'd taken all week - and wanted to know our fixture list to work out when we could go back again!

On hitting Sheffield, we hit problems, the last three miles to the ground took 50 minutes. For reasons best known only to themselves, the local police held up all coaches 5 miles outside of town. At 3pm, our car was still a mile away but nipping through side streets and parking in a very dodgy looking area (we were past caring), we charged to the ground and heard the anthem as the teams ran out. Yeah, kick-off was delayed.

Little did I realise the horrors unfolding those travelling by coach as South Yorkshire's "finest" police officers (the same force who treated us brilliantly just 10 miles away at Rotherham last month apparently gave Cardiff fans a less friendly welcome than occupants at Guantanamo Bay). Coaches were held on the motorway slip road/roundabouts until the last possible moment and then given the slowest possible escort to the ground, those in local hostelries treated the same.

As it became apparent there was no possible way the coaches would get to the ground by 3pm, the occupants charged off to get to the ground only to be further delayed and slowed by police. It caused huge problems outside the ground as fans tried to get in and police - surprise surprise, many decked out in full riot gear and making sure their numbers were hidden or not displayed at all -showed contempt for genuine family fans and the less angelic but all of whom were doing nothing worse than protesting about their treatment as they were pushed from the back, held at the front and had nowhere to go. The stories of innocent fans being truncheoned in a situation totally manufactured by the police is horrifying. City fans were still piling into the ground at 3:30 even though they got to Sheffield on coaches at 2pm - totally ridiculous.

Just while I have few doubts that a few of our travelling crowd let us down - let's hope anyone arrested with the genuine intent on causing problems get everything they deserve - the stories I heard from genuine supporters who go to games purely to support our club all verify the police was totally out of order. Their behaviour and policing was a disgrace, some clearly a shame to the force that they serve. It does however appear a regular event at Brammall Lane as their programme seller outside the away end, turnstile operators and stewards all commented how their local police regularly mess up events with their extreme ham-fisted versions of crowd control. Problems continued afterwards but luckily, I managed to get away before that get into full swing too making me one of the few City fans who managed to avoid the trouble.

The subsequent police proclamation of the worst trouble they'd seen in years will strike most fans as "rich" baring in mind they created many problems and especially at a club who are forced to print a full page ad at the front of their programme for 3 seasons warning the stadium could be closed down, who have 2 blocks of one stand shut down and who are pretty notorious.

Anyway onto the game. Brammall Lane, in a rundown area and looking decidedly ropey outside, is a superb stadium for football inside. All seated with 4 large stands, the home stands on either side and behind a goal very deep too. City's end is a double-decker stand with steep elevation (you could ski jump down it!) offering a superb view of the action. I love it. Special mention to their programme too, easily the best I've seen so far this season with 5 pages on City and many more features on us too.

Finally, the football - City lined up with an enforced change as Mark Bonner replaced the groin strained John Robinson joining the soon to return Danny Gabbidon and Alan Lee on the injured list so it was Alexander, Weston-Collins-Vidmar-Barker, Bonner-Boland-Kav-Langley, Earnie and Thorne.

The Blades had injury problems too. Keeper Paddy Kenny, both centre-halves Morgan and Robert Page plus starlet midfielder Michael Brown all absent but their starting side were still formidable. In goals was Paul Gerrard on loan from Everton. The back four were Kozluk, Jon Harley (on loan from Fulham), Phil Jagielka and Mike Whitlow. Midfield were Nick Montgomery, the evergreen Stuart McCall (who will be 40 at the end of the season - there's still hope for me!!), the class of Peter Ndlovu and the promise of Michael Tonge. Forwards were the dual 32 year olds of Ashley Ward and Mr Karren Brady, Paul Peschisolido, sporting one hell of a moptop.

I'll keep the first half brief but City were magnificent, taking the game to Sheffield, outplaying them but with nothing to show for their endeavours by the interval. For the first 20 minutes, Sheffield United barely got over the halfway line as City passed and moved making the home side look distinctly second best. Their vocal support wasn't just quiet but non-existent, City's following as rousing as ever.

If there was a complaint, it was that City couldn't make that final breakthrough, Gerrard had work to do saving well from Thorne and a Kav free-kick (I wish he would go for some power, it's always placement these days). Boland, Thorne, Earnie and Langley were all had efforts blocked or tackled as they were set to fire. Sheffield were struggling to contain City, Ward and Harley being booked for hard tackles and there was a disallowed goal too as Jagielka guided a fantastic diving header from a City free-kick into his own net but ref Riley ruled Thorne's challenge was too strong, others would have given it.

Riley was having an awful afternoon, booking for some challenges but ignoring similar or worse, letting play go when there was no advantage, stopping it when there was, wrong decisions aplenty and he was booed by both sets of fans. Ultimately, he didn't affect the result but he probably was a factor in the craziness of the game.

Sheffield's first half response was meek, a couple of half chances from angles and distance, Neil Alexander did not have a save to make or cross to cut out. He could have sat in the stands with us and still kept a first-half clean sheet. The game was lively but there was no hint of the dramas to come.

Half-time: SHEFF UTF 0 CARDIFF CITY 0

Along with a couple of hundred Bluebirds, I was enjoying a chat under the stands blissfully unaware that the game had restarted when a huge roar went up. We thought the home team had scored but it was City who went 1-0 ahead just 44 seconds after the restart. City moved down the right, Langley lost a man to pass across the area, the home side failed to cut it out as Thorney hit a low shot that Gerrard could only parry and EARNIE followed up to smash into an unguarded net from an angle, somersault and City those in the stand (rather than underneath) into an orgy of celebration. It was delayed underneath, it wasn't until about 30 seconds later that news came down we had scored.

The goal was no more than The Bluebirds deserved for another excellent team display but it also acted as a wake up call for the home side who suddenly had ideas. One shot wide, Alexander making his first (routine) save from an Ndlovu header and City conceding free-kicks in their own half that quickly had Kav and Langley both booked.

It was Langley's foul that paved the paved for the Blades equaliser giving them a free-kick 30 yards out to the left of goal. Alexander lined the wall to cover his near post but TONGE struck a magnificent blaster right inside his far post. It was only halfway up, you'd have hoped Alexander had that area well covered but you have to give credit to the supreme quality of the strike.

If there were slight question marks about Alexander for that goal, the second goal conceded was appalling, the sort of thing was gets shown in those blooper videos. 62 minutes, City cleared in desperation and there was nothing on as NDLOVU chested down and shot back at goal from 35 yards. It was hardly a classic strike, power but not powerful, it didn't fly through the air but bounced along the ground yet somehow it ended up in City's net with Alexander still trotting across goal after the ball had already passed him. He either lost his footing or, more likely, had either totally switched off or thought it was going wide.

Whatever, the home support were awake and alive, singing their hearts out and with the tannoy blaring out Tom Hark by The Piranhas, they were also doing the synchronised pump your arms up and down celebration that we saw at Reading in the week, City fans mocking them.

You started to fear the worst for City as they struggled to cope with the home team raising the pressure, losing their shape and discipline, getting pulled back and sucked in allowing the home team to push on more but, incredibly, 50 seconds after the restart, we were back at 2-2. Rhys Weston got down the right, crossed to the far post, Thorne lost his marker and nodded downwards across goal where EARNIE was first to react again and poke home from 6 yards. More mayhem in the City end with more mocking of the home team as we sang Tom Hark and pumped our arms - who needs a tannoy?

The game was now swinging end to end as both sides slugged it out like heavyweight boxers taking it turns to knock the other down but, on 69 minutes, the emotions and adrenalin were out of control as City went 3-2 ahead. A Sheffield player handled outside the area and having hit a couple of efforts straight into the wall, Kav handed over the dead ball duty to RICHARD LANGLEY. His execution was brilliance, up and over the wall, inside the top corner, Gerrard's palm could not prevent the ball hitting the corner of his net. It was mental in our end, Langley bowed, nobody could believe what was going on.

Sheffield made a double sub as 32 yr old Peschisolido was replaced by 35 yr old Wayne Allison and Ward was changed for Jack Lester but as in the Gillingham home game when cruising and away at Reading when they took the game to us and made changes, Lennie kept the same 11. Part of his problem was that he was limited for options with a bench of Bowen, Croft, Gordon, Prior and Margetson. The sqaud, though excellent, still needs some strengthening if City are to maintain any sort of challenge over the season although, again, City showed they can play with the big boys.

It was now Sheffield's turn to have a disallowed effort as Ndlovu turned home after a scramble but was offside, it gave us more reasons to celebrate and mock. Then, showing our character, we twice came close to finishing the game off as Paul Gerrard twice saved the home side by just palming away a magnificent 20 yard Langley chip and then pushing Thorne's header over the bar from the subsequent corner.

But it was short-lived, City seemed to be coping with the pressure when, on 77 minutes, a low cross came from the left. City had cover but as the ball went across the far side of the area, Riley pointed to the spot ruling Barker had handled. At the opposite end of the ground, no City fan spotted it but no blue shirted player argued - why did he do it?

Having saved his first penalty at Walsall (which they then netted on the rebound) and only having gone the right way on one other occasion, Alexander was on form as he dived right, NDLOVU went left and easily tucked the ball home. 3-3 and the home team's turn to jeer us.

City were on the ropes and didn't seem to have much left to offer. Just as at Reading, they had run out of steam. Each player was doing well but collectively, it wasn't quite right as City were again guilty of giving away too many free-kicks in their own half, a few needlessly. Everyone except Earnie dropped back, we stayed too compact in the centre which invited Sheffield onto us and to use width. It made the pressure on us relentless.

It's no coincidence that of the 12 league goals conceded this season, 11 have been in the second half, 8 in the final half-hour, 6 in the closing 20 minutes. There is a lot of work for Lennie and his players to do to sort out this worrying side to their game which is undermining all the good work going on. One of the factors is Danny Gabbidon's absence, Collins has done well but Danny has been sorely missed on our away travels this week.

You hoped City wouldn't crack but their resistance crumbled on 85 minutes. A ball down the middle, Allison flicked on and LESTER was somehow able to juggle the ball two or three times through Collins and Vidmar progressing into the area before firing wide of Alexander. A cracking finish although I though he should have been stopped, we were now in agonies.

Lennie made a change - Gordon for Bonner - and three up front as City made a desperate attempt to claw it back again and it almost happened as a crossed ball scrambled across goal, Thorne and Eranie both narrowly failing to turn home but on 89 minutes, Sheffield attacked the right, got around Rhys whose tiring challenge conceded another penalty almost identical to NDLOVU's earlier effort, he went right, Alexander left to complete his hat-trick in 28 minutes, make the score 5-3 and bring this freakshow to an end.

Understandably, Sheffield's fans were bonkers with delight. It was an outstanding game of football and a second-half of the likes we may only see once in our lives (thank God!). Credit to both sides for the fight and spirit, an amazing game to win but an awful one to lose. City applied themselves really well again but, just as at Reading, ultimately fell a little short. It is incredible that we went to Reading, scored 4 goals, lead 3 times and on both occasions, were head inside the final half-hour but got no points, just respect.

It's a cruel game sometimes but no time to ponder. West Ham on Tuesday (in the Coca Cola Cup) followed by our fellow promoted sides Crewe and Wigan (both above us, the latter on top of the Division) visiting within 8 days means we cannot afford to feel sorry for ourselves, just work to put it right


Matt Gabb
Saturday 20 September 2003